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August 29, 2008
Overcommitted
A foolproof way to create resistance to stretching into new and wonderful places for you is to maintain a sense of over commitment. And one of the surest ways to allow that feeling is to lose track of what your commitments are. The Weekly Review -- done regularly over time -- awakens your self-regulating mechanism. Knowing how overcommitted you are -- really -- is very different than being afraid of how overcommitted you are! -David Allen
Posted by Kelly at 09:55 AM | Comments (1)
August 11, 2008
Two reasons why we procrastinate
We all do it: kick something around on our lists (if we were even brave to put it ON a list), curse it, skip over it and try really hard to ignore it. Yet, we can't let it go. The longer it lingers, the guilt and stress builds or the opportunity is simply missed. Sound familiar? Good, join the club, you are like everyone else on the planet who procrastinates!
Is it necessary to eliminate procrastination to be effective in your personal and professional life? Not necessarily. Sometimes a little breathing room on something is exactly what I needed to get more clarity that I didn't know I needed on it. But it is helpful to know some strategies for unsticking your stuff, especially if it's something you really need or want to do now. There are two primary reasons why we tend to procrastinate:
1. The outcome is not meaningful enough to you
2. You don't have a clear next action
Now, think of one thing you are procrastinating on. If you had to go take action on that right now, do you have all of the information you need to take that action? If not, you haven't nailed the next action. Back yourself up to a clear next action. Go more microscopic in your next action if it feels too big or complex. Now, the outcome. What images do you hold when you picture yourself finishing that thing? Failure? Boredom? Jail? Out of control? Painful? Good chance that outcome is not only not meaningful enough to you, you're not picturing a successful outcome. Procrastination will pounce on that like weak prey. Reshift your outcome to a finish line you see yourself winning. Yes, it's that easy.
Posted by Kelly at 04:56 PM | Comments (4)
August 04, 2008
Collecting directly into a handheld
A GTD'er wrote to me and asked:
How do you capture ideas, projects, and NAs with your Treo? Do you enter them into the Treo directly as you think of them? Or do you write them down and enter them into the Treo later? If I enter into a PDA directly, I subconsciously resist capturing the idea because of the multiple steps it takes to enter something. If I capture on paper, then it seems inelegant to carry around both a Treo and a notebook.
My response:
Yes, I do sometimes capture actions directly on my handheld if I know exactly where I want to put it--meaning I'm collecting/processing/organizing directly into my lists if all the thinking required is done and it's easy enough to put it directly on the list. If it's just simply collecting something that I still need to process & organize, I usually capturing/collecting on paper first. I almost always have a notepad with me as well as my handheld.
Here's the bottom line here folks: Decide before you organize. If you are putting things on lists that still need thinking than you're no further along in having your attention be freed up from it. If you haven't figured out what your next action is, it doesn't belong on a next actions list yet. If you really want to capture directly on a handheld, just create a category called "mind sweep" or leave it uncategorized in Tasks until you process it. Here's an easy way to think of the flow of your work:
Collect = the first entry point where stuff comes in for you
Process = the step where you are deciding your outcome and next action with what you've collected
Organize = you're putting what you've made decisions about in a place you trust
Posted by Kelly at 10:22 AM | Comments (4)
August 01, 2008
GTD & Outlook 2007
For those of you working with Outlook 2007, you might want to get the new GTD & Outlook 2007 whitepaper. We overhauled the previous Outlook document with new tips, tricks and strategies for maximizing Outlook for your GTD system. You'll also find new instructions for setting up categories in 07 (although customizing your tasks view has stayed exactly the same.)
Note: If you have the GTD Outlook Add-in for 2007, the Tasks setup is done automatically when you install the software, so you don't need to buy the whitepaper for that purpose.
Posted by Kelly at 10:48 AM
